All That Jazz

I like Jazz. I grew up listening to it. Miles Davis, Gerry Mulligan, and Dave Brubeck were favorites at my house.

When you're young and you like Jazz, it might make you feel a little odd, especially if none of your friends even care for it. But, I had no problems. The parents of a lot of the kids I grew up with liked Jazz as well. That being said, I know that a lot of people have trouble relating to it.

Jazz is an out growth of the Blues, which was born in the rural south. The music is characterized by a strong but flexible structure, rhythm, and meter, punctuated by improvisation. Early forms of Jazz include, Ragtime, Dixieland, and Swing. By the 1940s Big Band was a big deal. By the 1950s, BeBop had given way to Cool Jazz. Cool Jazz players tended to have larger ensembles as opposed to the usual trios, quartets, and quintets. Also, they experimented with different instruments within their ensembles. Some of the artists included Chet Baker, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie,and Miles Davis.

In the 1960s, Rock n Roll became Rock, and began to find its way over into Jazz. In fact, R&B, Soul, and later, Funk would also begin to merge with Jazz. Jazz of the 60s seemed to expand in all directions as various artists experimented with sounds of other genres. The increase use of amplified instruments pushed Jazz toward a more electrified sound, as opposed the the more acoustic sound of the previous decade. This gave Jazz artists a greater opportunity to define their music and create a more unique and individual presence for each of them. Some of the artists from the 60s were Cannonball Adderley, Bill Evans, Charles Mingus, and John Coltrane.

What's interesting about Jazz of the 1970s, is that the sound of it is considered to have started in the 60s. The electrified sound of 60s Rock gave birth to Fusion while Funk took Jazz to a higher dimension. The introduction of the synthesizer allowed Jazz artists to let their imaginations run free. The result was some of the most creative and imaginative music ever made. Suddenly, Jazz was listenable and danceable. It was both interesting and exciting. And, with the help of technology, it became inventive, progressive, and innovative. Herbie Hancock's Headhunters album, in my opinion, epitomizes the depth to which Jazz artists of the decade were able to go. Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, George Duke, Quincy Jones, Jeff Beck, and more would all follow suite as as Jazz's popularity began to rise.

All was well with Jazz, until the success of Disco threaten to throw things on the back burner, as the major labels moved to capitalize. Jazz's rising popularity through the 70s seemed to evaporate at start of the 1980s, as Rap quickly moved in to fill the vacuum left by Disco's later demise. Instead of continuing to lead the pack, many Jazz artists dabbled with the dance sound in order to stay in the public's eye. However, a lot of Jazz artists actually pushed for a return to a more traditional or contemporary sound. It was a strange decade for Jazz, as the economics of recording music often produced some odd collaborations. Rap and later Hip Hop would also have an impact, as some saw a correlation between those genres and Jazz. By the end of the decade, Quincy Jones would produce the most notable melding of Rap and Jazz with the album, Back On The Block. Some of the artists were, Wynton Marsalis, Brandford Marsalis, and Pat Metheny.

Smooth Jazz is considered to have been born in the 70s. But, it was the late 80s and early 90s that lifted the genre to radio format prominence. Smooth Jazz, leans heavily on R&B, Pop, and Rock elements as a means of making the music more appealing to a wider audience. With the music buying public becoming increasingly enamored of Rap, Hip Hop, the prefab Pop of the 90s, Smooth Jazz radio was the most likely place to turn for something upbeat and rhythmic, but not offense to the ears. I think, and this is just my opinion, that Jazz was a victim of the merging and acquiring of the 1990s. While there were all types of Jazz recordings made in that decade, the emphasis on being commercial was so strong, that many artists did what ever was necessary to be heard. Some artists from that decade were, Pharoah Sanders, Bill Frisell, and Don Byron.

In all honesty, here in the 21st century, I've probably listened to more Jazz from the past then any other time I can remember. I don't think it's because there's isn't any good Jazz being made. I think it's because Jazz hasn't been given the attention that it was once given. If you want to hear good Jazz, you have to seek it out for your self. In fact, the Smooth Jazz station in my area, which had played a reasonable mix of all sub genres, went under last year. What does that tell you?

This past winter, Esperanza Spalding, a Jazz bassist, singer, and composer won the Grammy for Best New Artist. I'd like to view this as encouragement, not only for Jazz artists, but for anyone who believes in music as art and not just a product. Choosing her should be a clear indication that hard work can and will eventually triumph, but, only time will tell.